Doing Crafts For Pennies

If your kids are anything like mine, they absolutely have a blast doing crafts. If I’d let them, they’d be sitting at the table doing them, from the moment they woke up, until they fall asleep. I used to have to limit the amount, simply because buying the supplies was getting to be VERY expensive. Then, being the ever so creative one that I am, I started finding ways to cut costs, but be able to offer them more crafting time.

Here are some of my solutions:

Head Outside

There are so many things outdoors that you can use to craft with. We’ve used pinecones, acorns, flowers, sticks, rocks,  etc. Giving them all of these new choices doesn’t just save you money, it gives them something new and interesting to craft with.

Keep The Scraps

I keep all of the scrap paper from other craft projects in a Ziploc bag. When craft time rolls around, they have tons of paper to use. There have also been several times that I used a glue stick to glue a random shape to a piece of paper, and gave that to them to decorate. This exercised their imaginations, and they had a blast.

Make Your Own Glitter Glue

This one is easy. Buy cheap old Elmer’s school glue, add glitter, and mix with a straw. You get the same effect as those expensive glues, for, what? Fifty cents? Can’t beat that!

Use Q-tips as cheap paintbrushes. These work better than the cheap brushes, and you can supply kids with 500 of them for $2.

Make Your Own Water Colors 

In a tiny container add 1 teaspoon cornstarch to 5 drops of food coloring. Mix until all of the cornstarch is colored. You may add a drop or two of water if needed. Allow to sit overnight. It will dry out and harden up. To use, dip your Q-tip in water, and then paint as you would with regular water colors. I make large batches, and use those little plastic shot glasses from the party store.

Use What’s In Your Kitchen

You’d be surprised how many craft items you can make from things in your pantry. Boil up a handful of spaghetti, drain and cool with cold water. Make designs on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Allow a few hours to dry and harden. Once hardened, have your kids decorate the noodles with glitter glues, paints, googly eyes….These are also fun to make ornaments out of.

Crafting is all about getting creative! See how much your creativity can save you!

Image Credit